“The Healing of Blind Bartimaeus,” as it is called in reference to Mark 10:46–52, has been taken over and restated with various changes in Luke 18:35–43. This paper takes a literary-rhetorical approach to these changes, with a view to determine what effect these revisions of Mark would have had on Luke’s contemporary audience. Luke’s rhetorical use of Mark in the pericope itself is also considered in relation to the larger journey motif (9:51–19:44) of which it is a part, and which is patterned after that of 2 Kings 2:1–11. The Lukan version of the healing story is assessed, vis-à-vis that of Mark, particularly in light of the ancient rhetorical practice of pa??f?as?? (“paraphrase”), in which a writer would “change the form of expression while keeping the thoughts” (Theon, Prog. 107; Kennedy, 70). Such “paraphrase” could occur by variation in syntax, by addition, by subtraction, and by substitution. The paper looks at Luke’s engagement with addition, subtraction, and substitution in telling the healing story, in terms of how these contribute to the Gospel’s characterization of three characters – Jesus, the “blind man,” and the ?a?? (“people”). In the case of each character, it is argued that Luke’s paraphrase of Mark, in conjunction with his larger literary context, enhances characterization by supporting a favorable portrait of one character over against some character opposite or inferior to him. This rhetorical practice of comparison, known as “syncrisis,” is the primary tool used for assessing the results of Luke’s paraphrase.